1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a facsimile machine and in particular to a facsimile machine using cut sheets of recording paper.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, many facsimile machines use a thermosensitive type recording device for recording an image since such a thermosensitive recording device is low at running cost, does not produce much noise and has a relatively long service life. Besides, in such a facsimile machine employing a thermosensitive recording device, use is typically made of a lengthy sheet of thermosensitive paper in the form of a roll so as to allow to make the entire structure compact in size. However, thermosensitive recording paper is poor in the ability to preserve a recorded image and thus it cannot be stored as a file. For this reason, in order to store a recorded image in a file, the image recorded on such thermosensitive recording paper must first be copied on copy paper by a plain paper copier or the like and such copy paper must be stored in a file, which is cumbersome in most cases.
Under the circumstances, some of the recent facsimile machines use an electrophotographic recording device which is excellent in the quality of a recorded image and the ability of preserving a recorded image, such as a laser beam printer. In facsimile machines using such a recording device, since a recorded image is well preserved and the size of recording paper may be maintained at a predetermined size, it is extremely convenient when recorded images are to be filed.
Moreover, some of the recent facsimile machines are so structured to output a report including various information, such as use history of the facsimile machine and notification of the result of transmission, so as to allow to monitor and manage the use history of the facsimile machine and to secure proper transmission of image information. Such a report is typically output from a facsimile machine with various information for a predetermined time period recorded on recording paper in a predetermined format, and thus it could be quite long in some cases. In a recording device using an electrophotographic process, use is typically made of a cut sheet of recording paper, and thus the amount or length of data to be recorded on a single cut sheet of recording paper is limited. Accordingly, when an extremely long report is to be recorded, it is recorded on two or more cuts sheet of recording paper as shown in FIG. 6. In this case, a leading margin W is provided at the leading end of the first cut sheet of recording paper P1 and the contents of the report to be output are partially recorded on the first cut sheet of recording paper P1 over the remaining length L1 thereof and then the remaining portion of the contents of the report to be output is recorded on the second cut sheet of recording paper P2 over length L2 from the leading end thereof.
In general, in recording an image on recording paper by such a recording device, the image is recorded line by line. Each of the characters or letters defining the contents of the report has a dot pattern of a matrix format. Thus, a single character line recorded on recording paper is comprised of a predetermined number of recording lines. Thus, when the contents of a report are recorded as divided between two cut sheets of recording paper as described above, there may arise a case in which one character line is recorded as divided between the two cut sheets of paper, which is disadvantageous because the divided character line is difficult to read and some information may be lost.